legislation

Controversial legislation recently introduced by a Milwaukee lawmaker would allow new charter schools to open across the state without the blessing of local school districts. If it passes, the proposal by Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) would dramatically change the system for chartering schools in Wisconsin.

Many charter school parents and teachers are upset over some proposals by Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio, which include ending the practice of allowing charter schools to share space in buildings with traditional public schools.

When it comes to education policy, California and the Obama administration have gotten along about as well as the Clantons and the Earp brothers. They've clashed over teacher evaluations, Race to the Top grants, you name it. Now, the switch to the new Common Core curriculum could prove to be their O.K. Corral.

With thousands more students flunking achievement exams, the state has quietly changed how schools are judged based on test scores, a move that helped some schools pass muster despite dismal or lackluster student performance.

Nearly a year after voters trounced Tom Luna’s Students Come First proposals in a referendum, the state schools superintendent acknowledged he did not do enough to make the plan transparent or to involve Idahoans.

As schools open again in Western New York over the next few days, something new is in the air, especially for troubled school districts like Buffalo’s. It’s something that is very good for students, but perhaps not for administrators who can’t or won’t find their way forward.

For the first time, Utah’s traditional and charter public schools have received letter grades of A through F — hailed by lawmakers as a move toward transparency and decried by educators as an unfair, one-size-fits-all ranking.